New EmbryoScope Technology Set To Improve IVF Success Now Available in Chicago

Dr. John Rapisarda is now using the EmbryoScope technology in treatment with fertility patients.

Gina Kremer

The EmbryoScope, the latest in cutting-edge technology, is now available to couples seeking fertility treatment in the Midwest at Fertility Centers of Illinois.

Comprised of an incubator, microscope and time-lapse camera, the EmbryoScope monitors embryo development from the time of conception, allowing fertility specialists to select the most viable embryos during in-vitro fertilization treatment. This creates a video of embryo development for its first five days of existence.

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Traditional embryo monitoring methods required fertility professionals to remove embryos from an incubator once a day and study development through a microscope. Scientists are careful not to remove embryos more frequently from the incubator due to the additional risk posed to embryo development.

The EmbryoScope can monitor up to 12 embryos at once, and take photos of each embryo every five to 20 minutes for the entire duration of the incubation period, allowing for comprehensive monitoring of embryo development. Embryos remain in a controlled, stable environment unaffected by outside influence. Any abnormal embryo development can be detected without harming the embryo, allowing the most viable embryos to be selected during in-vitro fertilization.

"With the EmbryoScope, we can now select embryos with unprecedented precision," explains Dr. John Rapisarda of Fertility Centers of Illinois. "The capabilities of this technology may help patients achieve their family planning goals by keeping a close eye on the embryo."

The technology can prove particularly beneficial for couples who have done multiple IVF cycles or have experienced recurrent miscarriage. By watching the embryos develop, fertility professionals can also monitor abnormal cell splitting, potentially indicating an embryo with genetic abnormality.

In European clinical trials, the EmbryoScope demonstrated a 20-25 percent increase in pregnancy rates. In-house clinical trials at Fertility Centers of Illinois began this past week.

There are currently an estimated 15 centers offering the EmbryoScope across the country, with Fertility Centers of Illinois being the first center in the Midwest to offer the technology.